1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to networks and, more particularly, to merging Fibre Channel network fabrics.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Fibre Channel standard addresses the general need in networking for very fast transfers of large amounts of information. Fibre Channel networks utilize an arrangement of switches, called a Fabric, to connect devices. This approach simplifies the overhead associated with network traffic, as a device with a Fibre Channel port need only manage a point-to-point connection between its port and the Fabric.
To eliminate ambiguity when routing traffic between switches in a fabric, each switch in a Fabric is assigned one or more unique Domain_IDs during a multi-phase process. In a first phase, one switch in the fabric is selected as a Principal Switch. The Principal Switch then assigns Domain_IDs to the other switches of the Fabric in a second phase.
It is often desirable to merge two stable Fibre Channel fabrics, for example, to expand a network or link network devices. When merging, the fabrics must again go through a build process, in which the Principal Switch of one of the fabrics is maintained and assigns Domain_IDs to the switches of the merged fabric. Unfortunately, this build process generally takes 15 seconds, which limits how quickly fabrics can be merged and generally adds to port bring-up time.
Accordingly, what is needed is a technique for reducing the time required for building a Fibre Channel fabric.